The increased popularity of snowmobile trail riding has increased the need for a more effective snowmobile trail groomer. The more snowmobiles passing over any snowmobile trail, the more chewed up the trail becomes, particularly, the moguls become more and more pronounced.
Early attempts at grooming utilized a tracked vehicle pulling snowmobile trail grooming equipment. However, because the equipment was pulled and the attitude of the vehicle controlled the attitude of the equipment, proper grooming of the trail was precluded. A more novel approach has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,557 wherein a blade for grooming the trail including the leveling of moguls is mounted between a front steered ski and the tracked portion of the vehicle. However, the structure proposed is not effective. Essentially, all the weight of the groomer is carried substantially along the entire length of the track. In the event of the lifting of the front of the structure, (when for example, pressure is exerted on the ski by activation of the cylinder) the bearing surface of the track would be decreased with consequent spinning of the track, precluding effective trail grooming.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved snowmobile trail groomer which overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art.
Further and other objects of the invention will be realized by those skilled in the art from the following summary of the invention and detailed description thereof.